Strip cleaning device



March 31, 1959 c. DELAFONTAINE 2,879,779

STRIP CLEANING DEVICE Filed April 29, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent STRIP CLEANING DEVICE.

Charles Delafontaine, North Hollywood, C'alifZ, assign'or' to The Bankiof America National. Trust and Savings Association, Los Angeles, Calif.,, a national banking; V

corporation of the. U.S.A.

6 Claims; (Cl; B l -64) This invention relates to amachine for sharpening the edges of strips of metal, and has particular reference to a device for cleaning such metal strips during the sharpening thereof.

This application is a .division of my'copending applicaw tion Serial No. 215,127 filed in the United States Patent.

Oifice on March 12, 1951, now U.S. Letters Patent No. 2,709,874.

One of the-principalobjects of my invention is to-pro.-

vide a novel strip cleaning device in a machine for continuously sharpening an edge or edges-of thin metal strips to a high degree of fineness.

In United States: Letters Patent No. 2,492,292. and No.

2,492,293, issued Decmber 27,v 1949,. to George Douglas J ones et al. and to George Douglas Jones, respectively, .are: disclosedvarious forms of razors employing a ribbon-type:-

blade, that is, a blade of considerable length which is unspooled from a magazine topresent successive unused portions as desired. This so-called ribbon blade presents sharpening problems unique in the industry. Accordingly, it is an important. object: of: my invention to: provide a strip cleaning device in a machine for sharpening strips of metal to be used as ribbon-type razor blades.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a novel and improved mechanism for cleaning a sharpened strip. to remove coolant, pieces of metal, grit, etc.

Other objects and advantages of this invention it is believed will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawings: I

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a sharpening machine embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings, the general arrangement of the machine a portion of which is shown in Figure 1 will be briefly described. A coil of thin strip steel 30 is mounted on a supply reel (not shown) and the strip is fed through a grinding station (not shown), a rough hone station (not shown), a finish hone station 34, thence through a cleaner unit 35, and then through the stropping station 36. The strip 30 is then led through an inspection station (not shown) and the finished sharpened strip is coiled on a take-up reel (not shown).

. The various units forming the respective stations are mounted on a base which includes a pair of tubular rail members 45 extending substantially the entire length of the machine.

Following the grinding and rough honing, the strip 30 moves to the optical sizer or comparator generally indicated 200 where the width of the blade is checked to determine if the honing rolls are properly set. It will be understood that at this stage of the operation it is essential that the partially sharpened edge of the strip not be contacted by any part of the apparatus, and hence the width of the strip cannot be measured with a gauge 2,879,779 Patented Mar. 31, 1959 adapted to contact the strip. Accordingly, the optical sizer 200 is provided which includes a base member 201 mounted on the rails 45.

From the optical sizer the strip 30 proceeds to the finish hone station 34 including honing rolls (not shown) and transmission gears (not shown). As shown, the grinding! rolls and transmission gears are provided with cover mem bers 218 and 219 respectively.

The strip is continuously pulled from the" finish hone: station to the cleaner unit 35 where coolant which. ad heres to the strip is removed from the sharpended strip. As shown best in Figure 2, the cleaner unit includes a base 220 mounted on the rails 45. Secured centrally of the base 220 is an upstandingpost221. which carries: the cleaner block assembly 222. The block is provided witlr a central longitudinal passage 223 through which the strip 30 travels,,the passage being provided with hardened steel' inserts 224 against which the bottom edge of the blade: bears. Means are provided to direct a stream of solvent. or detergent fluid downwardly over the strip, and as. shown: in the drawings these means may include the inlet. fitting; 225 secured to and extending through the upper block Wall- 226. A vertical central slot 227 leads from the inlet fitting to the surge reservoir 228. The solvent washes:- downover the strip, cleaning it of substantially all foreign= matter which may be contained thereon. Means are pro vided for sealing the longitudinal passage 223 to prevent-1 leakage of. solvent therethrough. As shown in Figure: 2, these means may include the air inlet fittings 229, oneon either side of, the solvent inlet fitting. Vertical bores; 230 lead from the inlet fittings through the passage 223 and into the surge reservoir. 228. Auxiliary surge passages: 231 are provided, one between each of the vertical bores 230 and the central slot 227. It will be understood from the above description that this arrangement permits blasts of air to be directed through the vertical bores 230 and against the strip-30, thuspreventing leakage of solventoutwardly along the longitudinal passage 223. The surge passages 231 are provided to permit solvent to leak: through the passage 223 from the central. slot 227 to buildup in the surge passages and it then is forced down-- wardlythrough the vertical bores 230 much in the mannor of an atomizer.

In order to prevent excessive build up of back pressure. in the surge reservoir due to the mixture of air and slovent therein, pressure relief unit 232 is provided. An outlet tubing 233 leads from the bottom of the surge reservoir to the solvent reservoir (not shown), and the tube is provided with a plurality of apertures 234 through which excess air may be bled. In order to prevent loss of solvent through the apertures, a splash housing is provided. The housing consists of a cup-shaped portion 236 encircling the apertures 234 and has a flange 237 secured to the tubing 233. A final air dryer unit is provided on the cleaner block assembly 222, and as shown this includes the air inlet fitting 238 which leads to a manifold 239 which serves a plurality of longitudinally-spaced vertical bores 240 extending downwardly across the passage 241 through which the strip is led.

The cleaned blade is given a final polish at the stropping station 36. The stropping rolls 245 and 246 are of a material such as leather and rotate in the opposite direction. That is, the rolls rotate upwardly with respect to the strip.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I do not Wish to be limited to the details herein set forth, but my'invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a strip sharpening machine, a unit for cleaning a continuously moving strip, comprising a block having a longitudinal passage through which the strip is led, a

transverse solvent inlet passage extending across the longitudinal passage, and a pair of transverse air inlet passages extending across the longitudinal passage, one on either side of the solvent inlet passage, through which air may be forced to seal the longitudinal passage against leakage of solvent therefrom, a surge reservoir in said block, all of said transverse passages leading to said surge reservoir, an outlet tube leading from said surge reservoir, and means for bleeding excess air pressure from said outlet tube.

2. In a strip sharpening machine, a unit for cleaning a continuously moving strip, comprising a block having a longitudinal passage through which the strip is led, a transverse solvent inlet passage extending across the longitudinal passage, and a pair of transverse air inlet passages extending across the longitudinal passage, one on either side of the solvent inlet passage, through which air may be forced to seal the longitudinal passage against leakage of solvent therefrom, a surge reservoir in said block, all of said transverse passages leading to said surge reservoir, an outlet tube leading from said surge reservoir, said outlet tube having a plurality of perforations therein through which excess air pressure may he bled, and a splash housing encircling said tube adjacent the perforations.

-3. In a strip sharpening machine, a strip cleaner unit comprising, in combination, a block having a longitudinal passage through which the strip is led, a transverse solvent inlet passage through which solvent may be directed across the strip, a pair of transverse air inlet passages extending across the longitudinal passage, one on either side of the solvent inlet passage, through which air may be forced to seal the longitudinal passage against leakage of solvent therefrom, and a pair of transverse surge passages, one

between the solvent inlet passage and each of the air inlet passages, the surge passages being wholly confined within the block and extending across the longitudinal passage.

4: In a strip sharpening machine, a strip cleaner unit comprising, in combination, a block having a longitudinal passage through which the strip is led, a transverse solvent inlet passage through which solvent may be directed across the strip, a pair of transverse air inlet passages extending across the longitudinal passage, one on either side of the solvent inlet passage, through which air may be forced to seal the longitudinal passage against leakage of solvent therefrom, and a pair of transverse surge passages, one be- '4 tween the solvent inlet passage and each of the air inlet passages, the surge passages-being wholly confined within the block and extending across the longitudinal passage and all of said transverse passages leading to a surge reservoir in said block. I

5. In a strip sharpening machine, a strip cleaner unit comprising, in combination, a block having a longitudinal passage through which the strip is led, a transverse solventinlet passage through which solvent may be'directed across the strip, a pair of transverse air inlet passages extending across the longitudinal passage, one on either side of the solvent inlet passage, through which air may be forced to seal the longitudinal passage against leakage of solvent therefrom, a pair of transverse surge passages, one between the solvent inlet passage and each of the air inlet passages, the surge passages being wholly confined within the block and extending across the longitudinal passage, an outlet tube leading from said block, and means for bleeding excess air pressure from said outlet tube.

6. In a strip sharpening machine, a strip cleaner unit comprising, in combination, a block having a longitudinal passage through which the strip is led, a transverse solvent inlet passage through which solvent may be directed across the strip, a pair of transverse air inlet passages extending across the longitudinal passage, one on either side of the solvent inlet passage, through which air may be forced to seal the longitudinal passage against leakage of solvent therefrom, a pair of transverse surge passages,

one between the solvent inlet passage and each of the air inletpassages, the surge passages being wholly confined within the block and extending across the longi=' tudinal passage, an outlet tube leading from said block,

said-outlet tube having a plurality of perforations therein through which excess air pressure may be bled, and a splash housing encircling said tube adjacentthe perforations.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

